The Duck River Cemetery, established as a burial place in 1676, is one of the oldest active cemeteries in Connecticut. It covers more than fifteen acres along the west bank of the meandering Duck River and includes gravestones commemorating a Connecticut governor, prosperous colonial merchants, enslaved people of African descent, distinguished judges, ministers, educators, ship captains, artists, actors, ornithologists, shopkeepers, and veterans from many wars.

We invite you to pass through the antique iron gates, visit the scenic grounds, explore the early gravestones, and observe the array of carvings and inscriptions that make Duck River Cemetery an outdoor museum of history and art, and a repository of stories that unfold the lives of those who created the community we inherit.

Smaller scenic cemeteries on Meetinghouse Hill, where burials date to 1696; on Buttonball Road where members of the Champion family are buried; and along Four Mile River, where gravestones commemorate Waite family members, also beckon to visitors. Today, Duck River, Laysville, Point o’Woods, and Griswold are active burial places.